Bruins Gregory Campbell takes along ride with danger

Credit: Stuart Cahill

DIFFERENT KIND OF ENFORCER: Bruins center Gregory Campbell has been passing the time during the NHL lockout by riding with the Boston Police gang unit.

Bruins forward Gregory Campbell has been doing his best to stay in shape, skating at Boston University several days a week and using the gym there.

But the locked-out NHL players who have stayed stateside are beginning to fight some serious boredom, and Campbell has been fighting it with a vengeance.

Thanks to a friend who is an officer in the Boston Police gang unit, Campbell has taken a couple of night rides with the unit.

“They’ve been gracious enough to let me go out with them a few times. It’s something that fascinates me and I’ve always been interested in it,” said Campbell yesterday.

He can see some correlation in the mindsets of the police officers and hockey players.

“I see lot of similarities with the locker room. There’s a lot of joking around like the locker room, but they’re focused on the job, they’re all in good shape. I can see a lot of parallels,” said Campbell.

When asked if he’d be interested in a career in law enforcement after hockey, Campbell didn’t rule it out. But he was under no illusions about what his buddy’s job entails.

“It’s always been something that’s interested me. Seeing it up close and personal? It’s serious work. The guys are pretty courageous,” he said. “I just got married and I don’t know if my wife and family would be into that. Hockey’s dangerous enough, but you see these guys go out and lay themselves on the line every night.

“But I definitely always respected them and I have greater respect for them now. It’s something I would definitely consider, yeah.”

Bruins notes

Days after Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask, playing in the Czech Republic’s Extraliga, was sidelined briefly by an apparently minor groin strain, B’s center Patrice Bergeron missed a game Tuesday for the Swiss league’s HC Lugano with an upper-body injury.

Bergeron was reportedly back at practice yesterday and listed as day-to-day.